What to Do When the Prince is Cursed into a Black Cat [Western Fantasy]

Synopsis: [Road Adventure + Western Witch + Magical Medley + Cat Petting] [Full text completed, welcome to read!]

Prince Lucas was seriously ill, and the King invited the great healer Archmage to cast a spell to treat him. Unexpectedly, the Archmage had an emergency, so he invited the apprentice witch Ashlyn to take his place. The illness was cured, but... why was there a black cat lying on the royal bed after sunrise?

Ashlyn then remembered that the curse of the black cat and the treatment spell seemed to be only one word apart. Every night when darkness falls, the black cat transforms back into the prince. The prince as a human: (bow) (extends hand to invite) Please, Miss Witch. The prince as a cat: (fierce) (hisses) Get your dirty hands away from me, I just finished grooming!

Ashlyn: That's not right, are you really the same person (cat)?? Never mind, it's important to break the curse. Before breaking the curse, I'll be able to pet this cat someday.

Good news is, there's a way to break the curse. Bad news is, this method can only be used once. They must travel to different magical ruins, encounter different magical creatures, and find the four items mentioned in the riddle.

With Lucas's help (coercion), Ashlyn prepared everything: Facing a fierce dragon? She stayed up all night to study dragon magic for dragon taming. Visiting noble elves? She carefully prepared her lines, just to meet her childhood elven idol.

But no one told her that the dragon was just a baby who loved playing house, stealing dolls from the village and calling her mommy, refusing to let her leave; the artistic and beautiful elven idol was actually allergic to cat hair, and the prince was exposed the moment they appeared, landing them in jail; and when they reached the orc territory, the prince's curse seemed to deepen further...

As for the evil forces in the dark labyrinth, the dark wizards obstructing their plan, and the final riddle... they were completely stumped. Ashlyn was a bit overwhelmed. Fortunately, she was never good at preparing and always relied on improvising.

The only problem is, she seems a bit reluctant to part with this sharp-tongued kitten—or rather, the gentle prince. After all, witches and princes are not supposed to be on the same path.

Lucas always thought he would remain a boring prince in the court forever, until he met this clumsy witch. Of course, they have to break the curse; of course, he has to turn back into a prince; of course, a prince and a witch are worlds apart. However, by the time he realized he had grown accustomed to the little witch's smile and purred at her touch... it was probably too late.

Notes and Warnings: 1. Western fairy tale style, with half darkness and conspiracy, half fairy tale, overall a young adult fantasy adventure story, unlocking the next map dungeon after staying in each one. 2. CP: Genius forest witch × Prince who switches between human and cat, HE. 3. Dual perspective by chapter (female lead has more), love grows over time, mutual secret crush. 4. Both male and female protagonists are growing youths, neither is perfect. 5. The female lead will have a magic growth and upgrade line, the male lead... the male lead will too (?) 6. Okay, this is truly a fairy tale story, believe me!